YWCA CANBERRA

Campbell Cottage

An early childhood service in the centre of the Campbell community

Campbell Cottage is a 66-place centre, nestled in the heart of the Campbell community. We provide education and care for children aged six weeks to five years.

Our program is child-led and child-focused. We regularly involve the children in our decision making, based on each child’s interests, strengths, needs and development.

We reflect each child’s interests in our learning spaces and embed their learning goals within the layout of the learning environment.

When you use any of our YWCA Canberra children’s services programs, you help to support our community activities such as our housing programs, community development, youth engagement, and education to prevent domestic and family violence.

To enrol your child, please click the ‘Request to Enrol’ button. 
Learn more about what we provide and how fees are paid.

Quality rating issued: March 2020

Fees

  • $155.47 per session (permanent booking)
  • $158.80 per session (casual booking)
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Our professional educators are committed to forming strong and meaningful bonds and interactions with each child and family at Campbell Cottage.

We are a team of leaders and learners who are passionate about early childhood education. Our strengths are our diverse backgrounds, knowledge, cultures and life experiences.

We acknowledge our role in children’s lives as positive role models and educators who can support and promote children’s learning.


Director: Donna

Donna has worked in ECEC for 14 years and has been with the YWCA Canberra since Jan 2023 and at Campbell Cottage from Feb 2024. She has a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and care.

She has worked in early childhood education and care (ECEC) across Queensland, Singapore, South Australia, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory. She is passionate about providing respectful, empathetic, and high-quality care for children. Relationships are at the heart of what we do and building relationships with children, families, community, and peers is top priority for her.

She thinks it is important for an ECEC to allow children to be children, with the freedom to engage in active play and learning. Children benefit from playing outdoors whatever the weather. For her there is no bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.  

Our separate but interconnecting outdoor gardens/play spaces offer many shaded areas for children to learn, play and explore. We have beautiful, large established trees in our yards, along with vegetable and herb gardens to help children learn about nature and sustainability.

We practice all-weather play, with children going outside whether there is sunshine or rain.

Our indoor learning spaces offer an organic, natural and warm feeling. Each child’s personality is reflected within the learning environment, and we work to foster a strong connection to the broader community.

We have four rooms:

  • Nursery one caters to children age six weeks to 12 months.
  • Nursery two caters to children age 12 to 24 months. We work with the children to help them transition to Nursery two when they are ready for change.
  • Toddler and preschool rooms for children age two to five years. These both back on to a large outdoor area that promotes physical and emotional development. This space is set up based on the children’s interests and includes focus areas like active play, nature play, sustainability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders learning.

The educational setup of our service provides opportunities for children to engage in structured mixed-aged learning experiences.

Mixed-age learning and play has significant benefits for children. It allows siblings to interact and gives children opportunities to play and learn from those outside their age group. Older children develop supporting and nurturing behaviours, while the younger ones learn social skills and language, and develop further confidence.

Our progressive routines allow the children to have more choice and flexibility, creating happy and calm environments to learn, grow and thrive.

Campbell Cottage is embedded in the heart of the Campbell community. We foster a strong sense of connection to the broader community, conducting regular visits to local parks, ANZAC Parade and other local areas. We have links with local communities such as Canberra Grammar preschool, Northside campus and Southern Cross Care aged care residents in Campbell.

Waitlist Application

An early childhood service in the centre of the Campbell community

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Chiara Will

Chiara is Director of School Age Care at YWCA Canberra, bringing a wealth of knowledge and a diverse range of leadership and management experience across the Early Childhood Education sector. Having held roles from Administration Officer to Centre Director, she brings a holistic skill base and a strength in solution-based approaches to learning. 

Prior to joining YWCA Canberra, Chiara led a team of over 25 educators, driving policy development, professional training and development, and contributing to Quality Improvement, Sustainability, Reconciliation, and Strategic Inclusion Action Plans. 

In her current role, Chiara leads the strategic development of processes and systems that ensure high-quality, safe, and inclusive environments for children. She mentors and empowers managers, leaders, and educators to deliver best-practice programs aligned with regulatory standards, fosters strong stakeholder partnerships, and guides the Quality Support Team in managing compliance and quality assurance across services. 

Shane McAlpine

Shane is Director of Children’s Services (ECEC) at YWCA Canberra, overseeing eight early learning services with 24 years of experience in the early childhood sector. He brings an extensive understanding of education and care, current practices, and regulatory requirements, with a robust approach to developing high-quality practitioners. 

Shane supports the day-to-day operation of educational practices and curriculum across all our early learning centres, with quality and pedagogical practice at the forefront. He plays a critical role in providing escalation support and mentorship to centre directors and educators alike. 

His professional passions include children’s rights, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and teaching perspectives, and advocacy for the early childhood profession. He is an active representative on the ACT committee of Early Childhood Australia. 

As a father of two children who have experienced the early years system firsthand, Shane brings a deeply personal understanding of the challenges families face in balancing work and parenting. This perspective shapes his inclusive, stakeholder-centred approach to service delivery across every centre he works with. 

Katherine Hellwig

Katherine is the Executive Director of Children’s Services at YWCA Canberra, bringing over 23 years of extensive experience in delivering education and care in ACT and the surrounding areas of the city. Her career spans both not-for-profit and commercial providers, highlighting her versatile and adaptable nature. 

For over 11 years, Katherine has held an executive role within a not-for-profit organisation that experienced significant growth in its early education and care portfolio. Her responsibilities included managing programs and initiatives that fostered engagement within the local community. 

Katherine began her career as an educator, and this hands-on experience has given her a profound understanding of the critical role educators play in the lives of children and families. Her qualifications include an Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services, an Undergraduate Certificate in Service Management, and a Diploma of Leadership and Management. In 2018, Katherine was honoured with the Community for Children’s Award by the ACT Children’s Week Committee, recognising her dedication and impact on the community.  

Katherine is driven by a strong pedagogical belief that all children have the right to access quality early learning in their first five years of life. She focuses on delivering high-quality education and care in both early education and after school care programs, ensuring children receive the best start in life.  

Frances Crimmins

Frances Crimmins is the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Canberra and has led the organisation since 2013, driving significant growth, high-quality integrated service delivery, and stronger corporate efficiency. Under her leadership, the non-profit organisation has become a courageous community advocate, ensuring the needs of vulnerable communities are seen, heard, and addressed locally and nationally. 

Frances brings a diverse background spanning the private and not-for-profit sectors across business, hospitality, healthcare, and community services. She remains a passionate advocate for policy initiatives addressing the root causes of women’s housing insecurity, homelessness, gender inequality, and gender-based violence. 

Frances also currently serves as Chair of Homelessness Australia and sits on the ACT Work Health Safety Advisory Council. Her former board roles include ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS), WESNET, the ACT Ministerial Advisory Committee for Women, and Co-Chair of Anti-Poverty Week in the ACT. 

Her leadership has been recognised with an Edna Ryan Award (2015), ACT Leader of the Year at the Australian Leadership Excellence Awards (2016), and selection into the inaugural Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) program (2021). Frances regularly represents YWCA Canberra at the United Nations Commission for the Status of Women in New York. 

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